The wait is over. Nick Sirianni will become the Philadelphia Eagles’ 24th Head Coach. The hire comes after relentless rumors about Josh McDaniels that felt like an eternity.
With the Head Coach vacancy filled, it’s time to turn our eyes to Siriani’s future partner in crime, his Offensive Coordinator.
Eagle’s Offensive Coordinator Candidates
This list is in no particular order.
Anthony Lynn
The first candidate is a bit obvious. Sirianni was on Lynn’s LA staff back in 2017 so it’s an easy connection to draw. Recently receiving the boot from the Chargers, the former Head Coach is now looking for a new home. He already has a number of suitors from the Seahawks to the Lions.
Lynn didn’t call plays in LA so if he comes to Philly, that likely means that Sirianni would take on the play-calling which he’s never done. There’s no word yet if Sirianni is even interested in calling plays. He may just prefer to focus on leading the team. If that’s the case, Lynn’s experience could be vital.
One more thing to consider is that Lynn may not have any interest in the position. That’s no reflection on the Eagles or their new Head Coach though. The honest truth is that Lynn will get his money either way next year so he could very well relax for 2021 and return to the game next season.
Jim Caldwell
Jim Caldwell has long been connected to the Eagles as a potential addition to the coaching staff. An extremely experienced coach, Caldwell was groomed by Tony Dungy for years before he finally replaced him in Indianapolis.
In Peyton Manning’s final two season in Indy, Jim Caldwell’s Colts had the second and first ranked passing offense in the entire league. Yes he had a HOF level quarterback but Caldwell has had great success with less.
After leaving the Colts, Caldwell became the Offensive Coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens and turned Joe Flacco into a Super Bowl MVP. Talk about impressive.
Manning, Flacco, Stafford, Caldwell has experience working with big-name quarterbacks and could be a key piece to solving the Carson Wentz mystery.
The man also brought the Lions to the playoffs, twice. If that’s not a large enough accomplishment for you then I don’t know what is.
Ken Dorsey
Buffalo Bill’s Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll has received an enormous amount of credit for the improvements that QB Josh Allen has shown between last season to this. Much of that credit is deserved but it can’t be solely attributed to him.
Obviously, Allen deserves much of the credit. The addition of Stefon Diggs was huge as well but there’s one more name that deserves recognition. Buffalo Bill’s quarterbacks’ coach Ken Dorsey.
Dorsey has been a quarterbacks’ coach since 2013 when he was hired by Ron Rivera and the Carolina Panthers. While Dorsey was in Carolina (2013-2018) he was a part of the development of Cam Newton. Newton was named to two Pro Bowls, the 2015 First-Team All-Pro, and won both the NFL OPOY and MVP in 2015.
Dorsey has since joined the Buffalo Bills and is possibly coaching his second MVP QB in Josh Allen. While much of the credit is given to Daboll we have to remember the difference a great quarterback’s coach makes.
John DeFilippo was a large part of the success of both Carson Wentz and Nick Foles on the way to the Eagles’ 2017 Super Bowl run.
Bringing in someone like Dorsey could be a major aid to Sirianni as he works with Carson Wentz and could be the next best thing to hiring Brian Daboll.
Duce Staley
Duce Staley is the people’s candidate. When I say that I don’t mean just the fans or even just the players. The entire Eagles organization has a massive amount of respect for the longtime staff member.
Having been with the team as a coach since 2011 and as a player from 1997-2003, Duce knows the team, the city, and the fans like the back of his hand. In a sense long-suffering, Duce has outlive three Head Coaches over that 10 year span and still has yet to even be promoted to coordinator.
The reasons behind that still hazy as the amount of vocal support Duce receives from the organization would have you believe they would love for him to hold a higher position.
Many even raised their voice in support of Duce to become the team’s Head Coach. Not just fans either, current and even former members of the Eagle’s roster too. The man just commands respect at an unbelievable level and rightfully so.
The usage of the Eagles running back core on during their 2017 Super Bowl run was a beautiful sight. A large part of that must be attributed to Duce.
He’s very knowledgeable and know’s how to put that knowledge into practice. He even has a workout named after him that was added to the NFL scouting combine last year.
You can never count Duce out as his loyalty runs deep. At this point, you couldn’t blame him if he left even if the team offered him the Offensive Coordinator position.
Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire
